| 2007 Plebiscite Results |
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MEDIA ADVISORY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 19, 2007 Contact: Wendy C. Hoffman, Executive Director CHESTER COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION Telephone: (610) 692-1889 JUDICIAL PLEBISCITE RESULTS In November 2007, the voters of Chester County will elect a new Judge for the Court of Common Pleas of Chester County and will vote on whether to retain Judge Katherine B.L. Platt for such Court. In addition, voters throughout Pennsylvania will be electing, or deciding whether to retain, judges for the appellate courts of Pennsylvania. As required by the bylaws of our association, the Chester County Bar Association conducted a Judicial Evaluation Plebiscite among its members. Through the Plebiscite, the members of the Chester County Bar Association were requested to rate the various judicial candidates seeking election or retention as “Qualified” or “Not Presently Qualified” (or to indicate “No Opinion”). I. Results for candidates for the new position on the Bench of the Court of Common Pleas of Chester County: The Chester County Bar Association conducted two plebiscites; one in October 2006 and the second in August 2007. The results of the plebiscite for the two candidates standing for election in November 2007 are as follows:
In the October 2006 plebiscite, the Bar Association's Judicial Evaluation Committee sent out ballots to eight hundred ninety-two (892) Association members, and received three hundred twenty-one (321) valid ballots. In the August 2007 plebiscite, the Bar Association's Judicial Evaluation Committee sent out ballots to nine hundred eleven (911) Association members, and received three hundred forty-six (346) valid ballots. Each ballot asked the voting member to rate each candidate as "Qualified", "Not Presently Qualified" or "No Opinion". Under the Association's Bylaws, a candidate must receive votes of either "Qualified" or "Not Presently Qualified" from a total of at least 25% of the Association members eligible to vote in order to be found either "Qualified" or "Not Presently Qualified". Any candidate who did not receive votes of either "Qualified" or "Not Presently Qualified" from 25% (i.e. 223 last fall or 228 this summer) or more of the Association members eligible to vote were reported under a category of "Insufficient Ballots Cast". If a candidate received votes totaling at least 25% of the Association's eligible voting membership in the combined categories of "Qualified" or "Not Presently Qualified", that candidate is determined to be "Qualified" or "Not Presently Qualified" based upon the category in which more votes were received. II. Results for members of the Judiciary seeking retention The ballots for the state and local judicial retention ballot were also tabulated in August 2007. As with the ballot for the new position on the Bench of the Court of Common Pleas of Chester County, the Bar Association's Judicial Evaluation Committee sent out ballots to nine hundred eleven (911) Association members, and received three hundred forty-six (346) valid ballots. The ballot asked the members to rate each retention candidate as "Qualified for Retention" or "Not Qualified for Retention." Under the Association's Bylaws, a candidate must receive affirmative votes of either "Qualified" or "Not Qualified" totaling at least 25% (i.e. 228) of the Association's total membership in order to be rated. All of the following candidates were deemed Qualified for Retention:
Note: The indictment of Judge Michael T. Joyce was announced on August 15, 2007, only one day before the deadline for members of the Chester County Bar Association to submit their ballots. The majority of the ballots were received before the indictment was announced. Note 2: Other attorneys participated in the plebiscite, but are not currently standing for election in November 2007. |
